Um… hey, guys. *Laughs nervously* I didn't die. I know I promised that this summer I was going to work really hard to finish this story. Well, my dad didn't bring his computer so I had nothing to type on/publish my works. But I did manage to get these last two chapters all written out for you guys. You're probably going to hate my guts after you read them but…. on to the story I guess!

"Angeal, what are you doing here?" I asked him.

"I came here to warn you. Sephiroth is planning something big. I don't know what it is or when it's going to happen but it will happen. And soon." He said. I could see the worry in his eyes. He also looked like he'd aged 10 years in the few weeks I hadn't seen him. His hair was almost all white, with only a few black streaks going through it. His skin looked ashen and his skin was starting to wrinkle just a little bit.

Angeal tensed to leave but paused when Cloud asked "Wait, where's Genesis?"

Angeal sighed. "Genesis… is losing sight of what he once stood for. The degradation is really getting to him."

Cloud nodded his understanding grimly.

"Zack and Aerith jus got married." I said after a few moments of silence. A smile crossed Angeal's face and I could tell this really made him happy to hear.

"I wish I could've seen it." Angeal mused. "I'm happy for them."

I was about to ask him how he was doing when he suddenly said "I have to go now. Otherwise Sephiroth will start suspecting me of betrayal."

Cloud pulled Angeal into a hug. After they parted I also hugged Angeal. He felt so frail in my arms. It was hard to believe that he'd gone from one of the strongest men I knew to this frail little bird.

"Good-bye, Cloud. Tifa." He nodded at us and then dissolved back into the shadows.

"We need to tell Zack right away." I said, looking over at Cloud.

He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Agreed, it's going to really ruin their wedding though."

Poor Aerith and Zack.

"Let's go." I said. We made our way out of the woods and back to the gazebo where Zack and Aerith were thanking everyone for coming. They were practically glowing with happiness. I also noticed that Zack and Aerith never let each other go. Zack would always have his arm around Aerith's waist or they would be holding hands. It was so adorable.

Then Zack looked up and saw us standing there and Cloud motioned for Zack to come over.

"Zack, Angeal just came to us in the woods and told us that Sephiroth was planning something big." Cloud explained quickly.

"Is he still there?" Zack asked us, looking past us and in the direction of the woods.

"No, but he came here to warn us. Something big is going to happen soon and we need to be ready" Cloud replied.

Zack's face fell but he nodded. "The reception is over now. Let's get out of here." He said.

Then, Zack left us and went back to Aerith and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He whispered something in her ear. She nodded after a moment and then broke away from him and came over to me.

"I'm going with Zack. I'll see you later." She said with a huge smile on her face. I couldn't repress my smirk.

"Have fun on your wedding night." I said with a wink.

She blushed bright red but retorted with "Oh, don't worry. I will."

I pulled her into a hug "I'm so happy for you." I whispered in her ear.

"Me too." She whispered back.

After a few more moments she pulled away. "I guess I better go, wouldn't want my new husband to have to wait too long."

I grinned at her. "I'll be sure to let him know what he's in for. Good-bye, Aerith." For some reason this whole conversation with Aerith felt so… final. Like this is the last time I'd see her. I mentally scolded myself. This wasn't the last time I would see my friend. It was just marriage after all. It wasn't like she was about to die.

"Bye, Tifa." She said with a smile of her own, shaking me out of my thoughts.

She skipped off to her husband, who took her hands in his and pulled her to his car.

I walked to my car as well and saw Cloud standing there sheepishly. "Can I get a ride to Vincent's house? I'm sleeping over there tonight."

"Sure. No problem." I replied. He got in the passenger's seat while I got behind the wheel. I checked my phone and found one new message from Yuffie:

Hey babes! I'm sleeping over at Reno's house tonight. ;)

I rolled my eyes. Oh, Yuffie.

I started the car and the radio automatically started blasting music. "Sorry." I said sending Cloud an apologetic look as I turned the music down.

The silence was pretty awkward between us.

"Somebody That I Used To Know" started playing. I sang along to it under my breath. By the time we reached Vincent's apartment Cloud and I were belting out the lyrics to all the songs on the radio.

"You should come in for a few minutes." Cloud said.

I was a little tired but not too terribly sleepy. However, I did want to get out of this dress.

"How about I come in for a few minutes and talk to Vincent and if he says it's ok I'll stay the night." I suggested.

Cloud nodded. "Sounds great."

We got out of my car and walked up to Vincent's apartment.

"Vincent?" I called out.

"Tifa? What are you doing here?" he asked, coming out of the living room. He had already changed out of his tux and was in sweatpants and a t-shirt.

"Well, Yuffie and Aerith are sleeping over at other peoples' houses so I was wondering if I could sleep here tonight with you guys." I explained.

"Sure. Do you want some of my clothes to change into?" he asked.

"Actually I think I'm going to go home and get some stuff. Is it ok if I bring Smokey over here?" I asked.

"Of course." He replied.

"Ok, I'll be back in like an hour or so. See you guys soon." I said.

"Do you want me to go with you?" Cloud asked.

I paused. "No I think I'll be fine. I'll call you if there's any trouble."

Cloud just nodded in reply.

I walked out of Vincent's apartment and drove home. I was a little lonely and I wished I'd taken Cloud up on his offer.

I got to the apartment and Smokey greeted me at the door. "Hey cutie!" I said picking him up. "We're going to a sleepover tonight!" I told him.

He blinked his big blue eyes at me and solemnly meowed at me.

I walked to my bedroom and set Smokey down on my bed. Then I rummaged through my closet looking for a duffel bag. I found one and threw an extra set of clothes into it. I changed out of my dress and into a cute pair of light pink striped pajama pants and a long-sleeved shirt.

I went to my bathroom and washed my face and slicked some more deodorant on. I brought my toiletries with me back into my room and threw them haphazardly into my bag.

I slipped on my gray Ugg boots and carried my bag into the kitchen. I took a can of Smokey's food out of one of the cupboards and packed into a side pocket of my bag.

"Smokey! Come here, baby! We're leaving, now." I called out. He trotted out of my room and I saw a few pieces of cat litter on his paws. What a smart little kitty!

I scooped him up and kissed him a few times. He nuzzled my jaw and purred loudly. I carried him out to the car, tucking him against my neck so he wouldn't get cold.

I threw my bag into the passenger seat and gently placed Smokey on my lap. I talked to him as I drove so I wouldn't get lonely.

We reached Vincent's apartment a few minutes later. I entered and couldn't find the boys anywhere.

"Guys?" I called out. No answer. I rolled my eyes and pulled out my phone and dialed Cloud's number.

"Ah, Tifa. I was hoping you were here." A familiar voice said.

I whirled around and hid my phone behind my back. I was still holding Smokey so it looked a little suspicious so I took a step back and placed my cell phone on the counter behind me.

"G-Genesis." I stammered. He was standing in the shadow of the doorway so it was difficult to make him out but it was definitely him.

"I know Angeal came to warn you already, but I know something he doesn't. Sephiroth wants you. That is his end goal." Genesis said without preamble.

"Why does he want me?" I asked stunned.

"Because of Jenova. You've been hearing her voice haven't you?" Genesis watched me closely as I nodded.

"You're going to be Jenova's host when Sephiroth brings her back." Genesis said bluntly.

"No." I denied immediately. It wasn't possible. I wasn't going to allow it. No way was some weird alien "Mother" creature going to possess me. This was all starting to sound like some lame science fiction novel.

Genesis took a step closer into the light and I could see how horrible he looked.

His hair was almost completely gray, not the beautiful red it had been. His skin was almost the same gray as his hair. He could've almost been a statue except for his bright blue eyes which seemed bluer than ever. The way he held himself made him look like he could barely hold himself up. He was but a shadow of the man I had known.

Smokey hissed and jumped out of my arms and ran away.

"Genesis!" I gasped. "Are you ok?"

A small smile crossed his face. "I'm fine." He said, almost bitterly.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" I asked him. I could see immense sadness in his eyes and it almost broke my heart.

"Well… there is one thing…" he trailed off and looked uncertain.

"What is it? I'll do anything." I told him.

"Anything?" he asked, giving me a strange look.

"Yes." I nodded.

He crossed the space between us and grabbed my shoulders. Before I could pull away, his lips landed on mine. It wasn't exactly a kiss. It was just a touch. Almost like his hand had brushed over mine except it was our lips. Strange, I was suddenly beginning to feel so weak and my vision was starting to tunnel. I could only see the impossibly bright blue of Genesis eyes. Hmm, those eyes reminded me of someone…

"Tifa!" a voice shouted.

Genesis pulled away from me. "Thank you." He whispered and let me go. I was too weak to stand by myself and I started to crumble. Someone caught me before I could fall to the floor.

My eyes fluttered open just enough to see blue eyes that were almost identical to the ones I had just seen. Then the darkness overtook me.

"Tifa! Tifa, wake up!" I said as I gently shook her.

She just lay limply in my arms. She almost looked dead. I would've thought she was except for the pulse pounding in her throat.

"Genesis is gone." Vincent said as he came back into the kitchen.

"I'll kill that bastard the next time I see him." I growled.

I stood up with Tifa in my arms and took her to Vincent's room. I laid her on the bed and tucked her in. Her cat jumped on the bed and walked up to her head.

He sniffed her over and licked her cheek before snuggling up in the curve of her neck.

"What did he do to her, Vincent?" I asked.

"I believe he stole some of her energy to help heal himself. That's why she collapsed. Her body couldn't deal with the stress so it shut itself down to regain its energy." He explained.

Tifa lay peacefully sleeping in Vincent's bed and my heart throbbed for her. I reached out and pushed her hair back from her face. My fingers caressed her cheek for a moment before I noticed they were shaking. I quickly clenched my hand into a fist and got off the bed.

I felt so useless, like I couldn't protect her anymore. She was constantly in danger and there was nothing I could do about it.

I woke up with a horrible headache. I groaned as I sat up and massaged my temples. Ouch.

When my head stopped feeling like someone had beaten it in with a shovel I got out of Vincent's bed. The clock on his night stand said 3:08. I walked out to the living room. Vincent was asleep on his La-Z-Boy, and Cloud was passed out on the couch.

I studied Cloud for a moment. I rarely got the chance so I took the opportunity when I got it. He looked peaceful, all the worry and stress drained off his face. He looked like a little boy. He was just so cute. ^.^

His eyes suddenly flicked open and I felt my breath catch in my throat. His eyes met mine and they widened just a little. He put a finger to his lips and then got off the couch and walked back to Vincent's room with me in tow. He shut the door softly and then turned to look at me.

"What did Genesis say to you?" Cloud asked me, searching my face.

In that moment, I decided not to tell Cloud what Genesis told me. Cloud wouldn't be able to deal with it. He'd go on a rampage or something and Hulk-smash the wall. Yeah I don't think so.

"He asked me for help." I lied. Half truth. Good.

"And you gave it to him." he deadpanned.

"I couldn't just say no, Cloud. Genesis was -is- a friend and I always help out my friends no matter what. He could hardly support himself. He looked even worse than Angeal did. I can't just let one of my friends suffer like that." I argued.

"Genesis betrayed us when he went with Sephiroth." Cloud said.

"So you're calling Angeal a traitor too, because he went to make sure his best friends in the world wouldn't go off and kill themselves?" I asked.

"That's different." Cloud hedged.

"No it's not and you know it." I retorted.

Cloud groaned and pulled me into a hug. He buried his face into my neck. I could feel his hot breath fanning across my neck. I had to suppress the pleasurable shudder that tried to wrack my body.

"Cloud?" I asked uncertainly.

"You have no idea how much you mean to me. I was so worried when I saw Genesis just drop you like he did. I wanted to kill him for kissing you too." Cloud said heatedly. Every so often I could feel his lips brush my neck.

"I'm sorry." I breathed. Hm, maybe Cloud's lips on my neck were affecting me a bit more than I thought.

Cloud raised his head from my neck and the cold air that took his place gave me goosebumps.

Cloud's eyes locked with mine. So many emotions passed through them that I couldn't even begin to decipher them all.

He was suddenly leaning closer to me. "I love you. So, so much, Tifa. If anything happened to you I would never forgive myself."

I swallowed past the lump that was suddenly blocking my throat. "Cloud…" I couldn't think of anything else that I wanted to say.

Our lips met and it was the most heart-wrenching kiss I've ever experienced.

We fell back onto the bed. Cloud pulled away for a moment. "I need you, Tifa." he whispered, searching my eyes. I understood what he was trying to ask me.

"Yes." I replied. Cloud started kissing me with fervor this time.

When it was over, Cloud held me in his arms. It had been the best moments of my life. I would never forget it. I was so happy in that moment I couldn't imagine there would ever be a time that I could love Cloud more than I did in that moment.

"I love you, Tifa." he murmured as I was on the edge of sleep.

"I love you, too." I replied and then I drifted off into the best sleep I'd ever had.

What felt like minutes later I was being shaken awake. I tried to snuggle deeper into the covers but Cloud's voice in my ear and the words he uttered had me instantly awake.

"Tifa, you need to wake up right now. Sephiroth just launched a full-scale attack on Shinra."

I'm sorry to this but this is the penultimate chapter. I might possibly do a short epilogue after the next chapter but I don't know. But this particular story is far from over… if that makes any sense. There is still much more that I have planned for the Tifa & Co. However this particular part of the story is drawing to a close. I'll explain more in the next chapter… if you haven't killed me by then lol.

Until then,

Lil Leif